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Diplomatic Dispute Obscures Israel's Invaluable Help to U.S. Military

(Washington Examiner) Dore Gold - During the recent bilateral tensions between the Obama administration and the Israeli government, a vicious rumor began to spread that the U.S. feels that Israeli "intransigence" in the peace process puts U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan at risk. For years, there has been a whole cottage industry of anti-Israel forces who have been trying to promote the image of Israel as a strategic burden rather than as a strategic asset. As Netanyahu argued at AIPAC, Israel has actually helped save the lives of Americans. In August 1966, the Mossad succeeded in recruiting an Iraqi Air Force pilot who flew his MiG-21 to Israel. The intelligence on the MiG-21 was shared with Washington and would prove to be extremely valuable, as the MiG-21 was the work-horse of the North Vietnamese Air Force in the years that followed. Israel supplied the Americans with many other Soviet weapons systems, from 130mm artillery to T-72 tanks. Gen. George Keegan, the former head of U.S. Air Force Intelligence, was quoted in the New York Times on March 9, 1986, as saying that the intelligence the U.S. received from Israel could not have been obtained if the U.S. had "five CIAs." Even after the Cold War, Israel continues to be a vital American strategic partner. In 2007, the U.S. ambassador to Israel revealed that Israeli technology was being used by the U.S. armed forces in Iraq to protect them from Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) that were responsible for most U.S. casualties in the Iraq War. On March 15, 2007, the commander of EUCOM, Gen. Bantz Craddock, told the House Armed Services Committee that "in the Middle East, Israel is the U.S.'s closest ally that consistently and directly supports our interests." During his AIPAC speech, Netanyahu disclosed: "Israel shares with America everything" that it knows about their common enemies, especially intelligence. Both sides need to make sure that unnecessary diplomatic tensions do not sacrifice their long-held strategic interests that have served the security of both countries. Dore Gold, who served as Israel's ambassador to the UN, heads the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
2010-03-24 10:00:58
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